British authorities charge alleged boat pilot in deaths of 4 migrants in the English Channel

LONDON (AP) — A Sudanese man alleged to have piloted a boat connected to the deaths of four migrants trying to cross the English Channel has been charged under a new British immigration law, authorities said Saturday.

Alnour Mohamed Ali, 27, was charged late Friday with endangering another during a journey by sea to the U.K., the National Crime Agency said.

The new law allows Britain to extend the reach of its criminal jurisdiction to crack down on migrants making the dangerous crossing.

Two men and two women died Thursday in strong currents while trying to board the boat Ali allegedly piloted off the coast of Calais.

Prosecutors said Ali entered the U.K. illegally by water from France and during the voyage caused or created a risk of death or serious injury, according to allegations read out during a court appearance in Folkestone Magistrates Court.

“I didn’t do that,” Ali said through an interpreter.

He was returned to custody and ordered to appear May 11 at Canterbury Crown Court.

French authorities rescued 38 others from the waters. Ali and another 73 migrants then continued on to England, where he was arrested, the NCA said.

The incident occurred at Equihen Beach in Calais as the migrants tried to wade out to what authorities call a “taxi-boat,” typically a small motorized inflatable that picks up people along large stretches of the northern French coast.

The tactic has become more popular with smugglers as police on the beaches try to thwart crossings by puncturing the rafts that groups of migrants have to inflate and carry to the water.

Under maritime law, French police do not try to stop the boats on the water because it put lives at risk.

Recent days have seen a surge in attempted crossings and deaths, with 102 people rescued in two operations on Wednesday. Two people died last week in similar circumstances off the coast north of Calais.